Eddie's Ailments Put Van Halen on Hold

Band postpones four shows while guitarist undergoes "battery of comprehensive medical tests," per Live Nation

By Natalie Finn Mar 04, 2008 1:38 AMTags

The music hasn't died, it's just under the weather.  

Four upcoming stops on Van Halen's reunion tour have been postponed due to an unidentified illness currently afflicting frontman Eddie Van Halen, concert promoter Live Nation announced Monday. 

According to Eddie's physician, "he is undergoing a battery of comprehensive medical tests to determine a defined diagnosis and recommended medical procedures," the company said in a statement. 

Shows scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday in Dallas; Cincinnati, Ohio; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Baltimore have been reset for Apr. 24, Apr. 22, Apr. 13 and Apr. 15, respectively. Tickets for the canceled dates will be honored at the rescheduled shows. 

Otherwise, the "Jump" rockers plan to resume their road trip Mar. 11 in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

But what Van Halen really wants its fans to know is that contrary to some reports, the band's routinely sold-out tour has not been canceled. Performances are still booked through Apr. 25, when Eddie Van Halen, his son Wolfgang, original frontman David Lee Roth and drummer Alex Van Halen are supposed to hit up Sacramento, California. 

Eddie Van Halen, who received a clean bill of health in 2002 after battling tongue cancer for several years, has also struggled with alcoholism and substance abuse in the past. 

His most recent stint in rehab was last March, just as rumors of a possible reunion was lighting a fire under fans of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-bound band.

"I have always and will always feel a responsibility to give you my best. At the moment I do not feel that I can give you my best," Van Halen wrote on the group's Website at the time.

"That's why I have decided to enter a rehabilitation facility to work on myself, so that in the future I can deliver the 110 percent that I feel I owe you and want to give you."